Tottenham signs Eredivisie player of the year Vertonghen

Tottenham on the verge of completing transfer of Jan
Vertonghen

• Spurs have agreed a fee with the defender's club
Ajax
• Vertonghen was Eredivisie player of the year last season

Jan Vertonghen is set to complete his transfer
from Ajax to Tottenham after the two clubs agreed a fee for the
defender. Photograph: Olaf Kraak/EPA

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Tottenham
Hotspurare
set to finally complete the signing of theAjaxcaptain Jan Vertonghen after
the London club announced they had agreed terms on
Sunday.

Spurs have been tracking the Belgium defender since last season,
when he helped Ajax claim a second consecutive Eredivisie title.
Vertonghen, 25, is due to undergo a medical before completing a
deal valued at around €12m (£9.5m) that will make him the second
arrival since André Villas-Boas took over as manager.

"We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement
with Ajax for the transfer of Jan Vertonghen, subject to a
medical," a statement on the club's website read. "The 2011-12
campaign was the Belgium international's most successful season to
date – being named Ajax captain at the start and going on to lead
the Dutch side to their second straight league title.

"The centre back's impressive performances did not go unnoticed
as he was named Eredivisie player of the year as well as Ajax's
player of the year in a season that saw him score 10 times in 37
appearances. In total, Jan made 220 appearances and scored 28 goals
for Ajax since making his debut for them in 2006."

Vertonghen will bolster a Spurs central defence that has been
weakened over the summer following the departures of the
long-serving former captain Ledley King and Ryan Nelsen.

"I'm 25 years old and I feel ready to play in the Premier
League," Vertonghen said. "I've heard a lot of good stories from my
Belgium team-mates, so I think I'm ready for the club."

The defender is also hoping Spurs can keep hold of their key
players, such as Luka Modric. "They have a lot of good players and
I hope the most important players will stay," he told Sky Sports
News.

Gylfi Sigurdsson moved to Tottenham from Hoffenheim for £8m last
week.

Emmanuel Adebayor close to signing permanent deal at Tottenham
Hotspur

• Move opens way for Manchester City to sign Robin van
Persie
• Tottenham ready to pay large signing-on fee but lower salary

Emmanuel Adebayor scored 17 Premier League goals
for Tottenham last season while on loan from Manchester
City.

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Emmanuel Adebayoris on the brink of completing a
permanent transfer toTottenham Hotspur, asManchester Cityremove one obstacle to their pursuit ofArsenal'sRobin van
Persie. Tottenham
believe that they can secure the signature of Adebayor for £5m,
although they may have to pay a slightly higher fee, and they are
close to a compromise over his salary demands.

Adebayor, who spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane, has
one year remaining on his £170,000-a-week City contract. During his
loan, City contributed £100,000 of his weekly wage. But Tottenham
are ready to give the striker a massive signing-on fee and a lower
salary to fit him into the chairman Daniel Levy's pay
structure.

Adebayor is keen to remain at Tottenham, where he scored 17
Premier League goals last time out and the club's new manager
André Villas-Boas wants him to
join permanently. Villas-Boas likes to play a 4-3-3 formation and
Adebayor would fit in as the lead striker. Villas-Boas also has an
interest in the Brazil and Internacional striker Leandro
Damião.

Tottenham's move for Adebayor has implications for Van Persie's
future. City are resolved to sign the Dutchman after he made it
clear last week that he wanted to leave Arsenal but, first, they
must trim the number of strikers on their payroll, which currently
stands at seven.

Van Persie played with Adebayor at Arsenal but the pair are
confirmed enemies after the notorious afternoon at City in
September 2009, when Adebayor raked his studs across his opponent's
face. Van Persie accused him afterwards of a "mindless and
malicious stamp". "He set out to hurt me," Van Persie said. "The
contact was only centimetres from my eye."

There is no chance of Van Persie joining City while Adebayor
remains at the club. City are poised to make an offer of around
£15m for Van Persie, who has one year to run on his Arsenal
contract and they do not want to go above £20m. Arsenal's valuation
of the double footballer of the year is considerably higher.

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said last season that there
was no possibility of him selling Van Persie to City and the club
have threatened to hold him to the final year of his contract,
whether he likes it or not.

Wenger has signed the strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud
for a combined £24m.

Porto star for Spurs: AVB closes in on Moutinho to leave
Chelsea in pole position to sign Oscar

Tottenham are also set to sign Emmanuel Adebayor, but reports
Chelsea have agreed a deal for Brazil starlet Oscar appear to be
premature

Heading for White Hart Lane? Porto star Joao Moutinho is
closing in on a move to Spurs

Tottenham were today closing in on a deal to sign Porto
midfielder Joao Moutinho - after leaving the field clear for
Chelsea to land Brazilian schemer Oscar.

Andre Villas-Boas, who has already completed the captures of
Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen, is on the brink of adding
Moutinho to give him the dressing room disciple he lacked during
his short-lived spell at Chelsea.

And that has left the Blues as odds-on to capture Oscar, with
Tottenham sources insisting the club pulled out of any interest in
the South American at the end of last week.

Spurs had been tracking the Internacional midfielder and made an
initial £11million bid for the 20-year-old.

But as the move for Moutinho became more concrete, Spurs
switched targets and White Hart Lane sources are adamant Tottenham
told Internacional they were no longer interested in the youngster
three days ago.

Blue boy? Internacional's Oscar could be on his way to Chelsea

That leaves Chelsea the favourites to get their man
although suggestions of a £25m deal having been struck appear
slightly off target.

Oscar's agent, Carlos Meinberg, told Brazilian paper Terra:
"Chelsea did offer 25m (£19.8m) but there is still no agreement
between the clubs.

"That may happen in the next few days. Oscar's other agent,
Giuliano Bertolucci, will travel to England to finalise the
remaining details.

"Tottenham also made an offer, but he should accept Chelsea's
offer as there is more exposure there."

Spurs will fund the likely £22m capture of the 25-year-old
Moutinho, a huge success under Villas-Boas as he guided Porto to an
unbeaten season in 2010-11, by the imminent sale of Luka Modric to
Real Madrid.

Madrid have offered £28m plus former Chelsea defender Ricardo
Carvalho but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is sticking to his demands
for a package valued nearer £35m in order to assent to the
Croatian's departure.

Levy has made it clear he will not sell to a Premier League
rival - both Chelsea and Manchester United were keen on Modric -
and while the negotiations are continuing it seems a deal will be
reached in the next few days.

Levy also seems to be getting close to reaching an agreement
with Manchester City to turn Emmanuel Adebayor's loan deal in N17
into a permanent move.

Thumbs up to Spurs: Emmanuel Adebayor is set to rejoin the club
on a permanent deal

City need to offload Adebayor - and Bosnian Edin Dzeko, a target for Bayern
Munich and AC Milan - in order to find space for Arsenal's
want-away Dutch skipper Robin Van Persie - and appear ready to
accept a £5m bid for the Togo striker, who will bank a huge
signing-on fee to get his wages more in line with Tottenham's
normal policy.

Stopper set for Spurs? Tottenham open talks with Lyon over
keeper Hugo Lloris

Franch newspaper L'Equipe reports the Lyon stopper is set to
enter negotiations with AVB's new side

Between the sticks: Hugo Lloris could be keeping goal for
Spurs this season

Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could be on his way to
Tottenham after reports in France claimed the French side is in
talks with the London club over his transfer.

The France international is ready to leave Lyon and has a queue
of clubs interested in bringing him to the Premier League,
including Arsenal and Liverpool.

Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aaulas admitted before Euro 2012 that
the keeper had told him he could be tempted by an offer from a
"great European
club".

Now according to French newspaper L'Equipe it is Tottenham who
are in pole position to snap him up, after they opened talks over
the 25-year-old.

The proposed fee is reported to be around 20 million euros.

Tottenham already have Brad Friedel and Heurelho Gomes on their
books, but Brazilian Gomes has fallen out of favour and Friedel is
already 41-years-old and new boss Andre Villas-Boas is keen to
bring in a younger replacement.

The ex-Chelsea boss has already has already completed the
captures of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen as he prepares for
the new season.

He has no choice as Spurs have lost most of their defenders at
the same time, Harry didn't do a good job in this area.
King may retire, Gallas is too old and may leave, Dawson is
too injury prone. In midfield, Vdv could be on his way, Modric will
also be going... In goal, Brad Friedel will be 42, Gomes is
still a clown...

If we look at the numbers that are going, the
replacements are still not enough...